Catholic Heraldry

Warning: some of the heraldic prescriptions described here are
out of date.

See also

the Heraldry entry
in the Catholic Encyclopaedia (1915) (written by A. C. Fox-Davies).

Araldica Vaticana,
Site devoted to heraldry in the Roman Catholic Church (in Italian), by Giovanni Sicari

Ecclesiastical Timbres

The main peculiarities of ecclesiastical heraldry lie in the use of
timbres to mark ranks and positions within the Church. A summary is presented
here.

Pope

The distinguishing timbre of the pope is the three-crown tiara and the keys
or and argent per saltire.
This is discussed in greater detail separately.

Note that the tiara alone is used by the
patriarch of Lisbon (title created in 1716 and held by the archbishop of Lisbon since
1740).

Cardinals

They surmount their coats of arms with a hat gules. From the hat hang
a number of tassels (fiocchi), arranged so as to form triangles
on both sides of the shield. The number of rows is 5. The hat was conceded
to cardinals in 1245, and they started placing it in their achievements
in the late 14th c. The number of rows of tassels increased steadily and
was set at 5 in 1832.

A brief of Innocent X in 1644 prohibited cardinals from placing anything
but their hat in their achievements, but this was frequently ignored, especially
in France.

Until its 1969 edition, the Annuario Pontificio published an
illustration of the arms of every member of the Roman Curia.

Archbishops and Bishops

The first marks of their rank was the crosier, and later the mitre.
Bishops began using the hat in the late 16th c., and the use quickly spread,
the number of tassels increasing over time. The current use, defined by
the Congregation of the Ceremonial in 1832, is as follows:

Fiochetti Prelates (4 Officers of the Apostolic Chamber: Vice-Camerlingo,
General Auditor, General Treasurer, Majordomo of His Holiness): purple
hat with 4 rows of red tassels

Bishops: green hat with 3 rows, simple cross.

Apostolic Proto-notaries, various prelates of the Papal household,
vicars-general: purple hat with 3 rows of various colors.

Apostolic prefects, canons of basilicas, major cathedrals: black hat
with 3 rows of various colors.

In Italy, the hat completely replaced the mitre but in France, bishops
often added on top of the shield (and below the hat) a mitre in dexter
and a crosier in sinister. In the 18th c., archbishops often used 5 rows
and bishops 4 rows.

Bishops with temporal powers usually indicated them in some fashion.
In Germany, a crosier and a sword were placed in saltire behind the shield,
and helmets bearing crests were placed on it. In France, the 6 (later 7)
ecclesiastical peers placed the coronet
of their title under the hat, and a peer's mantle behind the achievement.
But other bishops held titles as well, such as count or baron, and used
the appropriate coronet. The bishop of Le Puy was count of Velay and traditionally
placed a sword in pale behind the shield. Otherwise, coronets indicating
personal or family titles were prohibited in 1915.

In Napoleonic heraldry prelates added
the toque of their ranks (archbishops were counts, bishops were
barons).

A decision of Dec 19, 1644 prohibited cardinals from exhibiting any
secular dignities in the exterior ornaments of their arms. A decree of
Jan 15, 1915 extended this decision and prohibited bishops from displaying
any marks of personal nobility. A decree of May 12, 1951 prohibits all
insignia of secular dignities, even those attached to the see or the function.
The insignia of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the Order of
the Holy Sepulcher are exempt.

Orders

Generals of orders and abbots
use a black hat with 3 rows.
Curates or parish priests have a black hat with 1 row. Abbots
sometimes are content with a mitre and a crosier, and an abbey's arms
usually has a crosier per pale behind the shield.